


Bound To You

by CallmeYazzy_Cat



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Blood Bond, Blood Drinking, Choking, Dubious Consent, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Healing, Heartbreak, Hostage Situations, Human/Vampire Relationship, Hybrids, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pack Cuddles, Past Rape/Non-con, Rejection, Romance, Scenting, Shapeshifting, Stockholm Syndrome, Vampire Hunters, Vampire Park Seonghwa, Vampires, Werewolf Wooyoung, Werewolves, cursing, halfbred vampire oc, tiger hybrid san
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27107623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallmeYazzy_Cat/pseuds/CallmeYazzy_Cat
Summary: Cat was taken hostage by a Vampire clan because she's a rare half bred. One day a group of Vampire Hunters raid their hideout and she's rescued. The thing is.. the Vampire Leader injected his venom in her and now the hunters must help save her from this withdrawal before she goes mad. Especially since they could die from a broken heart if she continues rejecting them as mates.He crawled over to her in the small room and she held her breath as he invaded her personal space. She still couldn't move much beyond squirming but she stood completely still as his face neared hers. She was right about his eyes glinting as he got closer and she had to purposely crane her neck to the side when he reached her face.He didn't stop there, his arms caged her on the sides and he leaned his cheeks against her neck and shoulders but she couldn't stop him. She'd never been in this position before and she didn't know what to do as she felt him rub his cheeks over her, so she looked back to the front. That's when she saw his shoulder, the skin between his craned neck and his revealed shoulder called out to her.Not knowing any other defense mechanism she did the only thing she could. She sank her teeth in him.
Relationships: ATEEZ Ensemble/Reader, Choi Jongho/Reader, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi San/Reader, Jeong Yunho/Reader, Jung Wooyoung/Reader, Kang Yeosang/Reader, Kim Hongjoong/Reader, Park Seonghwa/Reader, Song Mingi/Reader
Comments: 16
Kudos: 47





	1. Strong Link

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is the first fanfic I published on AO3. Hope you like the boys and my OC Cat :)  
>  **Mentions of BLOOD, GUNS, and BONDAGE.** That would be all, hope you enjoy!

Cat shifted her weight on her cramped legs. She was sitting on her knees next to the vampire leader, her master. The whole clan was sitting together in the dining room. A few of the members had gone out to hunt for food and brought back a few humans for the whole family to feast on -with the exception of Cat of course-. As always, she couldn't help but stare as they shared the screaming humans around the table. Her stomach rumbled with hunger as a fainted human was handed over to her leader. She looked at the human with guilt but her eyes turned pink against her will nonetheless. Master was about to take a bite when he paused and looked down at her over his shoulder. His stare was mocking and his red eyes taunting her, eliciting a whine out of her throat.

"Why the long face, half blood?" His tone was mocking as he held the fragile human on his lap. "Are you hungry?" That was a trick question. She’s known Master for a few years now and not once has he ever shared his food with her, but she subconsciously nodded at the question, straightening her back and resting her dirty bounded hands on her knees. Master grinned mischievously, flashing his blood coated fangs at her, and dropped one of the human’s arms to the floor. "You can feed. Go ahead pet." The blood was so close, it filled her nostrils as she took a deep breath, her eyes a dull pink from the lack of food in her body. 

She tried to crawl over to him, but there was only so far she could go. The chain embedded on the wall was clasped onto the collar around her neck and although she had never tried to before, she knew the chain wouldn't be long enough to reach the dining table. Blinded by hunger, she crawled anyway, and just as she was a meter away the chain yanked her backwards and she fell onto her back, her head spinning at the impact.

There was a roar of laughter at the show she had just made for them and she heard her master offend her in some way but she couldn't concentrate on his words anymore. Very carefully she sat up and wiggled back, away from the vampires humiliating her. Her bounded arms once again rested on her knees but now she wasn't sitting on her legs, they were hurting again. The laughter drowned out after they resumed feeding. She could feel their strength growing, radiating energy, each time they gulped the human’s blood, their auras starting to overwhelm her.

Suddenly, one of the vampires she hadn't noticed was missing, barged into the room with panicked breath, "They're coming!" Cat looked up at her leader as he stood with a screeching sound of the chair, and threw the now dead human onto the table.

"What do you mean they're coming?" he ordered, with a husky voice that made her shiver in submission.

"The hunters-!" 

As soon as the words came out his mouth, he was shot from behind and fell onto the floor with a heavy _'thump'_. Everyone stood up from the table and bared their fangs, nails growing pointedly in super speed. Vampires were fast, much faster than human hunters, so she knew they would be able to defend themselves, but this was her first time in a hunting raid and she tried to hide against the wall looking for coverage. 

Hunters were ruthless, they killed vampires solely because they fed on humans. But it wasn't like they could help it, they needed to survive too. Her clan had gone in hiding after a group of hunters wiped out half of them in a raid. They moved far away where they would be safe, and that's when she met them, but because she was a half blood, they took her as a prisoner. But she was still alive, fed scarcely but protected, trusting that she'd never die by the hands of a hunter.

She was bound to the corner of the big room. The dining table placed in the middle where all the vampires now stood around. They hissed as a tall red headed hunter stepped over the dead body with a gun on his hand and a cocky smirk on his lips. "Well well well, looks like we found your secret hideout after all," he humored, as the vampire leader stepped around the table.

"You low life humans! I will enjoy draining the soul out of your body."

"I'd like to see you try old man." The conversation was cut short as the hunter fired his gun at the vampires. Most of them quickly escaped the bullet but there wasn't much room to escape, more hunters barged in and fired their guns at them.

"Looks like we've got 'em cornered," one of the new hunters, tall with light green hair snickered. One of the vampires, the one who handed the leader a human to feed on, launched at him, going for his throat to rip it open. 

But before he could, another hunter with dark hair and tan skin shot him right on his chest, throwing him down to the hunters feet. "That was close, thanks Jongho," he chuckled -even in this situation- and looked at his companion.

The black haired hunter rolled his eyes and shot at another vampire close to him. "Careful Yunho, pay more attention." 

Cat squirmed at the death of two of her clan members and tried to find something to hide behind. Luckily, not too far to her right was a door that led to the pantry where instead of food, there was just a small space where she would sometimes sleep if it got too cold. The door couldn't close thanks to the chain blocking the way, but it was dark and the only place she could hide. She quickly crawled inside and looked through the gap, her heart racing.

One of the hunters had his gun knocked out of his hands by a vampire and struggled to keep his sharp teeth away from him but right when the vampire was about to claw at his face, the hunter transformed into a big tiger, possibly twice his size. The vampire fell back in shock at the beast as it roared, and the striped thing snapped his neck in half with his canines. Cat gasped at the sight as the giant tiger leaped onto another vampire and did the same to him. 

She had seen shifters before but only from afar, never seen one this close. The tiger was as big as the dining table, it’s paws big with claws jutting out. His back was gold with black stripes and white fur under him. He roared suddenly and the sound echoed gravely bouncing on the walls and hitting her sensitive ears as she watched the scene unfold. Across the room, Cat spotted a hunter baring his fangs at one of the vampires in her clan. 

_Wait... fangs?_

Her eyes widened as the hunter attacked the vampire with his claws and fangs, somehow stronger than the vampire from her clan. He ended up killing the latter even with a few ugly scratches on his face, but Cat watched in horror as the scratches faded away almost instantly. A speedy recovery meant... a vampire. 

_A vampire hunting vampires? How could he betray his own species?_

The hunter looked around for his next victim and rushed to help another colleague. She hadn't noticed a vampire successfully chomping onto a pale looking hunter but the non-human hunter grabbed a gun and blasted at the vampire's calf. That did the trick and the vampire released his victim with a painful wail, receiving another silver bullet to the heart. As soon as he collapsed to the ground the non-human hunter rushed to the other’s side and held him up by the waist. "Yeosang, are you ok?" The dirty blonde nodded slowly.

"Yeah, thanks Seonghwa, I just feel a little dizzy."

"Can you stand? Keep your eyes open, we've almost got them all." The black haired hunter, Seonghwa, said as he placed him against the wall. The other hunter, Yeosang, merely mumbled an _"I'm fine"_ and shooed him away, looking for his gun on the floor.

The room was chaos, guns firing and vampires screeching molested her ears as Cat tried to contain her beating heart from exploding out of her rib cage. She sat back away from the crack of the door feeling dizzy and weak as the sound of the gunshots came to an end.

"These bastards, look at the mess they made it stinks in here," the shortest of the hunters covered his nose, long mullet shining behind him in an edgy style she had never seen before. "No offense Seonghwa," he added sheepishly.

"None taken," he responded.

Meanwhile, the tiger hunter turned back into his human form and stretched his arms above his head, showing off his lithe figure. "Damn that was easy. Did we get them all?"  
Cat didn't dare breathe and shut her eyes tightly for a few seconds, tied hands covering her nose and mouth as much as she could in case she'd let out a sound. She prayed to transport herself elsewhere and forget about living in danger as she had most of her life. A cottage home in the woods away from people (living and dead) would be nice. She could go for walks and raise plants of her own without the feeling of being watched, judged and endangered all the time.

"Hold on I smell something," Cat watched in horror as one of the hunters with silver hair, seemingly non-human, stopped at the chain bound on the wall. He knelt down and picked up the chain laying on the ground, immediately the chain tightened and she felt it tug at her neck, eyes growing wide as she scurried further into the small closet. Undoubtedly, the chain tugged again and escaped the hunter's hands.

"What the hell was that?" She heard someone say.

The silver haired boy stood up and followed the chain under the mess of bodies until he stopped in front of the door.

Cat stopped breathing. She knew there was no way out. The hunters were going to blow her brains as soon as that door opened and she would die pitifully, chained to the world without having lived her life, starving and alone, with no one to mourn over her. 

She couldn't see anything but the man's black boots, staring helplessly at the ground with her hand still covering her mouth, shaking and shedding tears unwillingly.  
The guy grabbed the doorknob and pulled the ajar door wide until there was nothing separating her from hell.

_"Gotch-"_ His snarky voice caught in his throat and Cat heard him inhale sharply.

"What's in there Wooyoung?"

With her hands slowly lowering from her face she braced herself for the pointed gun and raised her face at the hunter. 

She wasn't expecting a wide eyed boy looking down at her with icy blue eyes and an opened jaw. She could swear she saw his eyes twinkle as he closed his gaping mouth and took a big inhale that left him dizzy, eyes glazing over as he stared at her.

She was thankful that he didn't seem to want to pounce on her but she flinched at the sound of boots coming from behind him.

"What are you looking at?" The hunter, who she recognized as the tiger, poked his head over Wooyoung's shoulder and stopped dead in his tracks. His glowing golden eyes raked down her dirty bounded body and she thought she heard him whine under his breath.

The boy before her crouched down to her level slowly as to not frighten her and raised his empty hands in the air. "It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you." She felt even more confused now than if he had just quickly ended her life.

He crawled over to her in the small room and she held her breath as he invaded her personal space. She still couldn't move much beyond squirming but she stood completely still as his face neared hers. She was right about his eyes glinting as he got closer and she had to purposely crane her neck to the side when he reached her face.

He didn't stop there, his arms caged her on the sides and he leaned his cheeks against her neck and shoulders but she couldn't stop him. She'd never been in this position before and she didn't know what to do as she felt him rub his cheeks over her, so she looked back to the front. That's when she saw his shoulder, the skin between his craned neck and his barely revealed shoulder called out to her. 

Not knowing any other defense mechanism she did the only thing her instincts told her too, she sank her teeth in him.

_"Ah!"_ The scream startled her and as quickly as she bit, she let go. The tiger -hunter- in front of her pulled Wooyoung back in a flash and glanced between his injured friend and the half-blood scattered on the floor.

"Woo, what happened? San?" The man with the mullet and a pointy nose came into view and crouched to look at his friend, completely ignoring the shadow of the girl sitting still in the small crowded space.

"He was scenting but he got bit.." The tiger, who she guessed was San, pouted and looked at Cat. He didn't look mad, but rather rejected, and she felt something swirl in her stomach at the thought of disappointing the hunter.

"I was trying to calm her down... she was in distress and I couldn't help it!" Wooyoung turned his pout back to Cat and his sad puppy eyes caught her off guard. She frowned and cocked her head to the side.

The other hunter, who's name she still didn't know, looked uncomfortably at the wound on the other's neck before asking, "What are you talking about?"

The guy followed the other boy's gaze and stood up abruptly. Suddenly a gun was pointed at her face and she sucked in a breath, trembling once more.

Before the gun could be fired San pushed it away, changing it's aim to the roof and yelled out, "Hongjoong no!"

The hunter restrained himself from firing and regarded the hunter with wide eyes. "What do you mean no? She's a vampire!"

"Yes but, hyung..." Wooyoung stood up with the other hunters and lowered his voice, although with Cat's enhanced hearing senses she could hear him perfectly fine, _"she's our mate."_

Hongjoong froze at that and looked back at her with new eyes. He still looked too wild for her liking but he held more curiosity then before, and that canceled out his need to kill so she felt herself breathe out once again.

The words the hunter had used seemed to have a certain control over the men and they all looked at her with no ill intent, which shouldn't scare her but the unknown reasoning behind it did. The word mate was something she had heard only once before when she was a child and had a family.

She recalls that day when her grandmother gave her a book to hold in her arms. Cat never learned to read but she enjoyed holding one in her hands. She must've been nine back then. She never knew her parents but her grandmother raised her for the time she was alive. It hurt revisiting those memories and knowing they would never meet again, but she couldn't help the word _"mate"_ ringing in her ears.

Her grandma was telling her a story about a divine god and his ill fate. She mentioned this god finding something that tied him down and prevented him from reaching the freedom he craved. Cat had just nodded along and turned random pages on the book back in the day but now hearing that word ‘mate’ she can't help but tie it down to the story her grandma had told her. The last story she had heard before they raided her home and took Cat away, killing her grandmother in the process. It wasn't a pretty thing to remember and she felt her stomach turn as the images of that day popped up in her mind.

What an ill fated thing... To be mated.

Cat looked up alarmed as another pair of boots stepped closer to the group. She felt her heart skip beats as the new figure got closer and suddenly she couldn't breath. Wooyoung looked at her with concern but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the place where the new figure was approaching.

_"What's going on?"_ His voice resonated in her head but she could quickly feel her limbs detaching from her body and her vision starting to blur. She barely caught a glimpse of the vampire before her lids closed and she lost consciousness. Wooyoung flew to grab her head before she collapsed on the floor, and cradled her close to his chest.

.  
.  
.

When Seonghwa stepped into view he was greeted with the sight of Wooyoung taking what looked like a slave, or someone he couldn’t recognize with the dirt and chains wrapped around their body, into his arms.

“Hyung,” the younger one started, “I found our mate.”

Seonghwa’s eyes widened as he took a step closer to cast his eyes on the body properly. He wasn’t a hybrid, he couldn’t sense his soulmate like Wooyoung or San could. He could only stare as this new information sunk in. The girl looked somewhat young, like Jongho, no older than 20. She was covered in grime, her knees bruised and her feet deformed. The vampires must have broken her feet so that she wouldn’t be able to stand. He wasn’t sure why they had her hands tied together but he followed the chain attached to her collar and saw it bound to the wall, making it impossible for her to run away.

He felt something sink heavy in his chest at the sight and thoughts that ran through his mind. If what Wooyoung said was true, then this girl, this prisoner, was supposed to be destined to them. She was the person the moon goddess had chosen to complete them all.

Seonghwa never thought he would find that person. He lived for three decades believing that because of his rare condition, he wasn’t gifted with a partner for life. So he played around in those years, craving something unknown that downed him into a depressive state until he met his current family.

He still couldn’t believe it. Looking at this person in his friend’s arms. He didn’t even know her, what if she wasn’t what he expected a mate to be like? What if she didn’t like him or was scared of him?

What he knew for sure was that she was so young and she had suffered greatly. He’d have to wait until she wakes up to get to know more about her. For now they’d have to take her back to their cabin in the woods and try their best to help her recover.

“We should get her out of these chains,” he spoke up.

“I’ll do it,” Hongjoong offered as he took his already loaded gun and shot three bullets at the chains, breaking them apart. San and Wooyoung concentrated on taking the collar and rope off her neck and hands.

“The collar won’t come off,” San whined, “it’s made of some kind of metal and I’m scared I’ll hurt her if I try to break it with my strength.”

“We have stuff at home let’s try taking it off there, don’t worry San.” Hongjoong returned his gun back in the hole of his belt and clicked his tongue, “Now let’s get going, the others are probably getting impatient.”

Wooyoung picked the girl in his arms and carried her out of the house, the boys following close behind. They’d have to cut their hunt short for the day. Something far more important was in their hands, and in their minds.


	2. Pliant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was confused. And she didn’t want them to think it was ok.
> 
> Because it wasn’t. None of this was ok. These people, these… _murderers_ , were playing hero with her. Saying they wouldn’t hurt her, cleaning her, curing her from a supposedly infected wound which was just her master's love bite. They were trying to trick her...
> 
> She had to find a way to escape. If she couldn’t fight then maybe she could trick them. Make them believe she was willing to do whatever they wanted. She could do that. She could be _pliant_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm back with another chapter, I think I can sustain 1 chapter per week and update at the beginning of the week, so stay tuned to the story!
> 
> **WARNING! What the MC experienced is very TWISTED and very WRONG. IT IS NOT meant to be romanticized.**
> 
> Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response of a hostage or a victim of abuse. It's when the victim is manipulated into believing that what their captor does is ok. They develop feelings for them because the abusers or captors emotionally manipulate them into believing all the horrors they do to them are out of love and for their own good, even though it isn't. ITS A LIE, but the victim is broken into believing it is true and into loving them for it.. It is also a coping mechanism victims use to survive in their situation. It's a very sensitive topic to some so I suggest taking it with caution and please stop reading if it makes you uncomfortable.
> 
> Ateez are not the captors or abusers in this story, just want to make that clear. Please enjoy!

Her skull was breaking. She felt an immense headache already present before she became fully conscious. There was the unmistakable smell of soap and something else she vaguely remembers having smelled before in the air. Her hyper senses kicked in and she realized there was something warm covering her all over, wrapping around her body like a cocoon. She inhaled softly and tried opening her heavy lids.

As soon as she did she was greeted with a dark wood ceiling, completely different from the one she was accustomed to waking up to. She forced herself to sit up right, ignoring the lack of pain in her back that she was normally used to, and took a look around her surroundings.

She was in a bedroom, completely made out of wood, probably a cabin she guessed. There was a big window across from her, covered in a tulle curtain that allowed the faint light of dawn to illuminate the room. She’d have to go over and check where she was because she knew there could not be a space like this inside their underground hideout.

To her far left was a mahogany desk with stacks of books piled messily over it. There was an antique green globe and a lamp decorating it. A big dresser with a round mirror faced the opposite wall next to it. On the opposite wall to her right was a grand closet with the doors left open and on the corner was a brown couch that fit two or three people most. There were a lot of random objects thrown around the place. Crumpled shirts thrown haphazardly over the closet, pillows that had fallen onto the floor, a water bottle on a nightstand and a collection of posters on the back of the door to her right.

There was a large bed beneath her, she realized that the covers were what wrapped around her body so snuggly, besides a stuffed plushie -that somehow resembled a fox- tucked in the sheets next to her. It had been a while since she laid on a bed. Her makeshift one consisted of a worn out blanket, gifted to her out of pity from the wife of one of the men that had forced intercourse on her along the years.

She shuddered at the memory. 

The covers on this bed were soft and clean, smelling of something she couldn’t make out. She turned towards the pillows behind her and brought one up to her face. She inhaled deeply and confirmed her suspicions. This was what the silver haired hunter that invaded her personal space had smelled like. She _had_ sunk her teeth in him after all.

The smell of soap caught her nose and she looked down to find the source. Her own body emitted the smell of clean, grimeless skin with a flowery scent. She was dressed in a big black shirt and upon lifting the covers she found a pair of long shorts resting on her hips.

She grew a little wary of her surroundings after that. She had been foolishly oblivious when she first opened her eyes but now she had her guards up. She didn’t know where she was, she had been cleaned and dressed, and the air smelled heavily of the hunters she had met not so long ago.

For all she knows, they’ve captured her and plan to sell her off to some organization or plan to keep her as a slave or pet like her Master had.

_Master…_

Where was he right now? Would he be looking for her? She knew for a fact that he couldn’t be dead. The bond he’d made with her would’ve disappeared the moment a bullet pierced his unbeating heart.

But she could still feel it in her veins. His venom tying her down.

Her eyes widened in realization and she quickly clasped her hands around her throat.

_Bare._

Her collar was gone. Instead, there was a bandage wrapped securely around her neck. A gauze in the place where the dent of his fangs were.

She started to breathe heavily. Her head was still pounding and her quick heartbeats weren’t helping. She heard voices from outside the door, somewhat far but she could still pick them up.

_“... do you mean he escaped?”_

__

__

_“Yeah that’s what I tried telling you last night but you guys were too busy with that blood sucker-”_

_“Stop it Jongho.”_

The hunter’s commanding voice brought chills down her back and she grabbed the fox plushie for comfort.

_“But you don’t understand! We almost had him! And because of her we were forced to call off the hunt.”_

__

__

_“Yeah Seonghwa, you guys are being blinded by this stupid mate thing-”_

_“I SAID STOP.”_

The voices were quiet for a moment.

_“Well, it’s time for her medicine… I’m gonna go check up on her.”_

__

__

_“I’ll go with you, Hongjoong hyung.”_

_“I’ll go too.”_

Their voices died down but she could hear pairs of footsteps walking over and stopping at the door.

By the bits of information she captured in their conversation, she realized that they were probably talking about her. They mentioned the mates thing again and some of the hunters were against it.

Good to know because she was also against it.

They’re giving her medicine too it seems. But what if it’s the _bad_ kind?… She can’t trust them. They killed her clan and took her hostage, this was wrong, she should’ve died too. The only way they would’ve let a half-bred like her alive, was if they had ulterior motives. Or maybe, _she wasn’t even deserving of death._

The door then cracked open and the hunter with the pointy nose and edgy mullet stepped forward. He was holding a first aid kit on one hand and a small liquid bottle on the other.

When he met her eyes he paused in his tracks and she bared her fangs menacingly. No longer hugging the plushie, she reached for the water bottle besides her on the nightstand and chucked it straight at him.

His quick reflex caused him to duck and evade getting hit in the face.

But his companion behind him didn’t have the same luck. The full bottle smashed against his nose and by the force of the throw knocked him over, sending him tumbling backward into his friend who barely caught him in his arms without falling back himself.

She couldn’t run or hide. Her feet were damaged, and she wouldn’t even be able to walk on them if she tried. The space was too open to hide anywhere and her body was physically too weak to fight them if they tried anything. All she could do was scare them off and hope they released her when they realized how much of a nuisance she would be.

“You’re bleeding, San!” The hunter who now sported a swollen nose wiped the blood off with a swipe of his finger and took a look at the mess. The red liquid dripped down his nose into his lips and he immediately tilted his head back to stop the flow, whining in pain and surprise.

Cat eyed him cautiously until she caught a whiff of his smell. Then her eyes turned pink.

She was _hungry._

She hadn’t eaten properly in years and this could very possibly be her last meal for all she knows.

She decided not to scare them and instead just lure them in.

“Hunter…” she started, voice hoarse from not having to use it much in the past few years. “Forgive me.” She sat up in the bed over her bruised knees and kept her hands placed over her lap, like she was taught, facing the door. “Water...please,” she croaked, big eyes pleading innocently.

San’s eyes widened and he cleared his throat, “O-of course! You must be thirsty…” Cautiously he picked up the water bottle that had landed on the floor and stepped over to the bed, never once taking his eyes away from her glowing ones.

“Wait, I don’t think you should-”

The hunter who appeared at the doorway with a first aid kit tried to warn him but as soon as San was close enough to her, Cat launched herself over him, baring fangs.

Although, it didn’t go as she planned.

The hunter grabbed her wrists and pinned them onto the bed, swiftly dodging her mouth and sitting on her legs to prevent her from kicking up. Her back collapsed onto the mattress but she still tried to reach for his neck.

“Hey no attacking like that from now on!” He firmly stared down at her with his concerned slanted eyes until she stopped squirming. 

She recognized him clearly now. The tiger that snapped the head of one of the vampires in her clan. She had only seen him from afar, but now that she had him up close, she couldn’t help but noticing that his eyes were different from when he shifted. As a tiger his eyes were a menacing gold, yet now as a human he had light hazel colored eyes that reminded her of warmth and sweet honey.

Although the scar he had right on the left eyebrow contrasted with his soft eyes. His high cheekbones and sharp jaw added to that reckless appearance. Her eyes challenged him to try and surprise her but he didn’t do anything besides slackening his tight hold on her wrists slightly.

She saw movement over his right shoulder and snapped her neck towards the figure with a tense stance. The hunter, who she now remembers was called Hongjoong, appeared around the edge of the bed with a worried stare.

“Don’t worry we’re not gonna hurt you,” he said, trying to calm the frantic vampire down.

 _Yeah right_ , she thought. That hunter was the same one that pointed a gun at her as soon as he met her eyes at the raid.

“I get that you’re scared but I promise we only mean well.”

“I’m going to let go of you now. Please don’t try anything.” San softly spoke, looking at her pitfully before slowly letting go of her arms and scooching back on the bed.

She sat up with a curious stare and took in the three men in the room. The hunter near the door had walked cautiously over to the bed and now stood behind San, blue eyes glinting like those of a sad puppy.

That’s when she remembered. This hunter was the silver haired weirdo that called her his mate. She remembers having bitten him but not long or hard enough to draw blood, just a warning bite. Now that she smells something other than the blood dried up on San’s nose, she confirms that this room smells fully of the two non human hunters to her right.

She must be in their room, which means that she’s somewhere probably far from her previous location. She once again can’t help but wonder if her former captor knows where she is. She doesn’t want to die by the hands of hunters, and although her master wasn’t the type to show her affection, she wondered if he was worried about her. He did give her protection and a family. She was used to being his pet.

“We need to clean your wounds. You’ve been out for a while now and I’m afraid your neck is infected.” She looked back at Hongjoong with a hurtful expression. Her hands coming up protectively over her bandaged neck.

“No.” She stated firmly. Her neck was really sensitive. Only her master had ever nailed his teeth in her and now these strangers want to tamper with his bite as if they have every right to. She can’t let that happen. Not without Master's approval, she was his. His alone.

The hunter looked at the others for support but they looked just as lost as he felt. They had never been in this situation before. They usually killed vampires, not take them home and try to patch them up. Especially not with an uncooperative vampire.

“But it’s seriously infected. You can get sick if we don’t-”

“I said _no_ ,” she repeated unswervingly. The blue eyed hunter whined under his breath and crawled up the bed, keeping his distance from Cat who had pushed herself away from them discreetly.

“Um, would you… would you tell us your name?” Wooyoung asked timidly.

She looked away from his gaze and concentrated on her fingers. Her nails, which should grow into claws when she’s mad, hungry or scared, were cut bluntly on the tips of her fingers. They initially hurted her when she bumped them against anything but she had gotten used to the pain and now stared emotionlessly at them.

Master said it was for her own sake. A safety measure in case she were to accidentally harm herself or anyone of the clan. Just as the collar he had clasped onto her neck. He didn’t want her scratching on that and making the bite worse. At least that’s what she believed. She knew master meant well.

Yet she missed the feeling of having claws. They helped her grasp onto her food when she was little and they also helped whenever she wanted to cut something or escape from somewhere.

But she knew they wouldn’t grow anymore. He had cut them too close to her fingers and it’s been a few years since they just stopped growing.

A similar story happened with her fangs but that was a bad memory she didn’t want to revisit.

She spotted the stuffed fox beside her legs and she held onto it for comfort. She missed the way San’s eyes lit up and his thin lips tilted upwards at the action of his plushie being a source of comfort for her.

She unconsciously held the fox tighter to her chest, it’s blank face looking up at her. Her name was a sensitive topic to share, especially with her kidnappers. She had made that mistake before so she knew better now. She avoided answering the question until the hunter cleared his throat.

“Well… My name is Wooyoung,” he presented himself rather cheerfully. “I’m a werewolf. I can shift and turn into a big grey wolf.” He tried impressing her with his big smile showing his two sets of pearly white teeth. His canines showing pointedly. But she wasn’t very impressed. Vampires and werewolves weren’t known for being best friends after all.

Her master hated werewolves. She was sure he’d be disappointed if he knew she was sitting in a bed filled with the scent of one. He didn’t smell terrible like he’d described, though. The wolf smelled of pine trees and it was actually really comforting. Just as comforting as his cool blue eyes and his bright, straightforward aura.

“I’m San!” The boy beside her blurted. “I’m a shape shifter. I turn into a tiger, but I swear I’m completely conscious so I would never hurt you.” He grinned, dimples popping out on either side. He had been the one that left the biggest impression on her the day they attacked. His big canines and enormous body filling the room.

“I-I wouldn’t hurt you either,” Wooyoung added quickly, looking at Cat with earnest eyes. Somehow she couldn’t help but to believe them slightly, so she nodded softly, looking back at the toy in her hands.

“And my name is Hongjoong. I’m just human so no crazy cool features, sadly.” His smile was charming as he relaxed his stance and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m the eldest of us though, even if my height makes me look young,” he joked. You hadn’t really noticed but you suppose he was somewhat smaller than the other boys.

“You are _not_ the oldest, there’s someone that takes you on by _ages_ ,” San dragged the word comically and Wooyoung giggled.

“Yeah but Seonghwa is a vampire, he’s been around for who knows how long, so he doesn’t really count.”

At the mention of another vampire, Cat couldn’t help but wonder. The blond she had seen back at the hideout had been out attacking his own kind. That was a logic that just didn’t sit right with her. She might understand if he was killing half bloods like her because her kind was rare and not even useful, but big powerful full blooded vampires like them? She couldn’t understand.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She was curious but she wasn’t really allowed to ask questions back with the clan, so she had to come up with her own hypothesis.

The boys turned silent when they noticed her discomfort and waited awkwardly to see if she would introduce herself now that she knew them a little bit better. Cat looked awkwardly between them and mentally sighed. If she _had_ to oblige, then…

“Cat.” She quietly murmured the name Master had given her, looking away shyly.

The younger boys smiled pleasingly at her, but Hongjoong saw through it. “Is that your name?”

She thought about his question but didn’t feel like bringing up everything behind her name so she simply nodded, dodging the question. The other boys seemed convinced enough, getting more comfortable on the bed.

“It’s really nice to meet you, Cat.” Wooyoung smiled searching for her gaze when she shyly averted her eyes. She was confused. And she didn’t want them to think it was ok.

Because it wasn’t. None of this was ok. These people, these… _murderers_ , were playing hero with her. Saying they wouldn’t hurt her, cleaning her, curing her from a supposedly infected wound which was just her master's love bite. They were trying to trick her... 

None of this was okay. She had to go back. She had to find her way back to Master before he… before he _abandons_ her. He had to know she didn’t want this. _They_ had to know she didn’t want this. She was fine back with Master. She knew what she was worth. She knew what kindness was. He didn’t hurt her, he cared for her, kept her from causing herself harm, gave her unconditional love. He was _always_ there. Always there, watching her.

She had to find a way to escape. If she couldn’t fight then maybe she could trick them. Make them believe she was willing to do whatever they wanted. She could do that. She could be _pliant._

“Nice to meet you too,” she murmured.

But no one believed that one. She was tense and evaded looking into their eyes. She was obviously very scared and wary of them, so the trio tried to seem as friendly and harmless as possible.

“I know you must have a lot of questions…” Hongjoong started, “but if you wish, you can feed first and then we’ll answer everything you want to know.”

_That sure sounds tempting._

She raised her head to give him a firm nod and he gave her a reassuring one back.

“We have this nutrient supplement that you should take. We think you're malnourished, and it would really help if you started taking a glass twice a day, daily.”

Cat’s face contorted into a grim expression. _So this was the game they were playing? Making me take who knows what to take advantage of me somehow?_

“It’s not what you’re thinking I swear!” Wooyoung added hastily after seeing her distrustful expression. “The vampire among us drinks it daily, and I’ll even drink some right now to show you.”

He impulsively, yet very bravely, unscrewed the cap of the bottle Hongjoong was holding and took a swing at the medicine, gulping the thick liquid down to show his point.

“You’re supposed to mix it with water Wooyoung!-” Hongjoong slapped his palm on his forehead and shook his head, voice drowned in surrender.

“Easy there Woo, you’ve proved your point!” San took the bottle out of his grasp and Wooyoung looked expectantly up to Cat.

She did feel it to be safe after he drank the medicine, but she still wasn’t completely sure she should drink it.

“Cat, I promise, _promise_ , that no one will hurt you here.” Wooyoung’s big blue eyes held her stare until she caved in. Surrendering to their requests.

Her voice sounded barely above a whisper as she agreed with a small “Ok…” Wooyoung looked gratefully at her and proceeded to grab the water bottle that once again laid forgotten on the wooden floor near the bed. Hongjoong slipped some of the dark liquid inside of it and screwed the cap shut to shake it.

Immediately it turned into a bubbly dark red substance that somehow ironically resembled blood. She chuckled inwardly at the irony. She hadn’t been properly fed in a while and this was their _oh so mighty_ solution? She could laugh but the situation wasn’t humorous anymore. She was really hungry. She just hoped these captors had sweet blood once she found the moment to sink her fangs in them.

San joyfully handed the bottle over to her. It smelled heavily of acid strawberries as she reached forward and glared at it from a distance. Yet his innocent and eager eyes convinced her of taking a sip. She brought the bottle to her lips and tried to ignore the strong stench that invaded her nostrils. It really did smell like musty strawberries.

Blindly she tipped the small bottle into her mouth and forced herself to drink what she could muster of the horrible drink.

“I’m never doing this again,” she announced bravely after. _Is this supposed to substitute blood? It doesn’t even taste remotely close to it!_

”You have to,” Hongjoong chided, taking the bottle out of her loose grasp. “It’s for your own good.” He chuckled and reached over to wipe a bit of the red that had dribbled down her chin. She didn’t notice, too lost in the stupor of the medicine taking effect.

“GUYS!” Suddenly, another one of the hunters ran into the room, not even sparing a glance at the vampire in the middle of the bed. He was a tall figure dressed all in black similar to the rest of the boys, but with minty green tousled hair. He had a young looking baby face but it was contorted into worry and raised eyebrows. “SOMETHING’S WRONG-” His voice carried an urgency that snapped everyone out of the relaxed state they were in.

“Calm down Yunho, what are you talking about?”

“It’s- I… I thought we had stopped it, we gave him medicine but-”

“What are you talking about?” San asked impatiently. “Breathe Yun-”

_“Yeosang,”_ he breathed out. “It’s Yeosang... I- I think he _turned_ from the bite!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you liking it so far? Please leave a comment on what you think and kudos if you enjoyed! ;)  
> You can come scream at me on Twitter if you want (I have the same username), and I upload on Wattpad too, so you can find the story there as well.
> 
> Ps. Reminder that this story is in Spanish for anyone that prefers that language! See you soon, xo.


	3. Revamp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “And does this feisty little thing have a name?”
> 
> The younger boy’s face fell at the question. “Yeah... I mean, she says she does, but I don’t know... it doesn’t feel right for some reason.” When he didn’t continue Seonghwa frowned.
> 
> “What do you mean?” His curiosity got the best of him and he walked up to where Hongjoong was, grabbing his hand to pause him from cooking for a second. “It’s just a name, how could it not feel right to you?”
> 
> “I feel like I’ve heard it before… I don’t think that’s her real name.” Hongjoong paused and looked up at the tall vampire.
> 
> “I don’t understand, what did she say she was called?”
> 
> _“Cat.”_
> 
> Seonhwa’s eyes widened and he let go of his friend's hand.

“No amount of medicine can cure him. Not if the venom already seeped into his veins.”

“ _Fuck_ , stupid vampires.” Hongjoong elbowed Mingi hard on the ribs. “ _Ow!,_ _sorry_ , sorry hyung,” he mumbled, rubbing his chest with a pout on his lips.

Seonghwa ignored him, looking over at the boy twisting uncomfortably on the bed.

Yeosang was sweating, curly blond hair sticking to his forehead and clothes clinging onto his squirming body. He was panting, breathing heavily as the boys surrounded him and held his limbs down to the bed.

“When did this start?” Wooyoung whined beside the door. His mouth turned down into a frown as he watched his friend try and jump out of the boys’ grasp unconsciously.

“Right about when you were all having a sweet time with the beast next door-”

“Jongho!”

“No, let me talk!” The younger one was fuming, he let go of one of Yeosang’s arms and walked straight up to Wooyoung’s chest, towering over him. “If you hadn’t been kissing up to your little girlie, you would’ve noticed the change in his scent and maybe we would’ve stopped this sooner.” San immediately put his arm between them to stop the fight but Jongho wasn’t giving up. “You know Seonghwa hyung doesn’t have a sense of smell- we needed _your_ fucking nose in that moment but you weren’t here.”

“Calm down Jongho it wasn’t his fault!” San protected his pack mate by stepping fully in front of the maknae and shoving his chest hard.

“Yes it was! And it’s your fault too! You’re the only beasts in the fucking house that could’ve noticed if something was happening to him. And it’s your fucking fault that now he’s changing into one of them.” He went right back and pushed San harder on the chest. San may be a hybrid and therefore has supernatural abilities, but Jongho trained for _hours_ every single day to be strong enough to protect those he cared about. And his efforts didn’t go to waste. San tumbled back into Wooyoung’s arms, almost falling from the force of the youngest.

“JONGHO,” Hongjoong warned, stepping away from the bed and walking up to the boy.

The one in question ignored him and stormed out the door, fuming. He also made sure to knock the two boys hard with his shoulder when he passed by, slamming the door shut behind him.

Hongjoong sighed, hand going up to rub at his face in disbelief. The boys by the door felt defeated. They knew the maknae _was_ right. If they hadn’t gone to see you they would’ve all been taking care of Yeosang, and maybe they could’ve stopped the venom from spreading sooner.

San put his arm around Wooyoung to comfort him and whispered calming words into his ear.

Seonghwa sighed, returning his focus to the important matter at hand. “I can’t keep draining his energy. He’s going to have to wake up sooner or later.”

Mingi and Yunho looked at each other worriedly. If Yeosang wakes up now… he’s going to be crazy for blood. He might try to bite anyone near and be completely subconscious until he quenches his thirst. But there really is no way for them to revert the effect.

Yunho took a hold of Yeosang’s hand, it was flapping everywhere as his limbs were all restricted from movement. His body was fighting it. Seonghwa had drained out his energy several times yet the vampire in him was restless and was trying to wake up. He was trying to _hunt_. The Yeosang they all knew would change in a matter of minutes now and he would lose his sanity.

The quiet, caring brother of theirs would be gone.

Yunho couldn’t help but think back to all their memories together. He really cared about his brother, even though his snarky remarks and teasing eyes got them to fight sometimes, he was a really good friend. It had been years since they met, they grew up together, and now he wondered if they could possibly continue to grow together. Would Yeosang miss growing old?

He held on tighter.

“He can smell you, you know?” Seonghwa spoke, looking at Yunho’s joined hands. “Be careful, his nails might grow out anytime soon and he might hurt you.”

Regretfully, Yunho let go of his friend and returned to holding just his arm down. “What do we do now?”

“Get a rope,” Seonghwa signalled to the boys standing over the doorway. “Let’s tie him down just to make sure he doesn’t hurt anyone.” They nodded their heads, quietly walking out to get what he asked.

“Hey, sorry about Jongho...”

“It’s fine.” Seonghwa interrupted. He knew Jongho was young, hell he had only lived in this world for 20 years. And Hongjoong had a really tight relationship with the kid. He took care of him when he was small and he wasn’t even that much older. He knew how much he protected Jongho and how much he cared for him like an older brother would. 

He wasn’t even mad at his outburst because he understood how hard it was to live with vampires. He knew they were very special yet murderous creatures and if it wasn’t for his condition that prevented him from thirsting for blood, he would’ve been shot on the spot by this team.

He actually had a lot to be thankful for to the maknae, so he couldn’t let offensive words get to him. Besides, he knew the boy’s words weren’t really directed _at_ him.

“I know this is tough on everyone. Yeosang being bitten, bringing a stranger into the house -a vampire no less- and finding out she’s our mate… It’s a hard pill to swallow. I hope you guys know that I will try my best to guide Yeosang through this phase, and make sure the girl doesn’t hurt anyone.” He looked into the boys’ eyes while conveying his sincere feelings.

“I’ll also help,” Yunho added, with a smile rising up his face.

“Me too.” Hongjoong joined, walking back to where everyone was gathered. “Don’t feel pressured, Seonghwa. It’s not your responsibility alone, we all live in this house and we all want to keep this family together, even if it’s hard for some to admit.”

Mingi looked away. As much as he loved his friends and cared for Yeosang, there was just something about those blood suckers that he just couldn’t forgive. They were vampire hunters after all. Of course he wasn’t going to abandon Yeosang now, but he could do without that extra load that they were all so smitten with.

“Brought the rope,” San and Wooyoung came back inside, carrying a long batch of thick rope that hopefully would be enough to hold Yeosang down when he awakened.

“Great, now let’s just tie him down and wait until the effect wears off.” Seonghwa ordered them over, and together they fastened Yeosang’s body onto the bed. 

The boy kept struggling. Mostly asleep but somewhat aware of his surroundings thanks to his hypersensitive senses. He could taste the smell of something sweet and tempting all around him. He couldn’t keep still, grunting softly to every shift of his surroundings. He wanted to wake up, he was absolutely _starving_. But his eyes just wouldn’t open no matter how hard he tried.

He couldn’t move either, something seemed to be physically restraining him and he growled in annoyance. Although to the boys in the room, it was barely a soft breath of discomfort.

“I suggest you all take a leave. Your smell is probably making it harder for him. It’d be best if he was alone until he regains consciousness.” Everyone agreed to Seonghwa’s request and left the room only after sending their brother a longing look. Everyone was worried, they had never seen a human turning into a vampire, and they specially dreaded seeing his reaction to it.

Seonghwa closed the door behind him and followed Hongjoong down the wooden stairs and into the kitchen.

“So… how is she?” He rested his hips against the kitchen counter and waited for Hongjoong while trying to hide his bubbling curiosity. He had a mate after all. The urge to check up on her was creeping up on him every passing second and he had to calm himself down to hear what his friend was saying.

“Oh, she’s awake,” Hongjoong directed a knowing smile at him while busying himself by making lunch. “She’s very wary of us too. Now that you reminded me,” he dramatically swung to face the vampire, “she tried to chuck a water bottle at me as soon as she met my eyes!”

“Oh,” his smile grew wide at the image painted. 

“Thankfully I crouched down but it hit San square in the face. Didn’t you see his swollen nose in the room?” The younger one turned back around and started seasoning the chicken breasts.

“I kinda noticed yeah,” he chuckled and rearranged the weight while crossing his legs. “And does this feisty little thing have a name?”

The younger boy’s face fell at the question. “Yeah... I mean, she says she does, but I don’t know... it doesn’t feel right for some reason.” When he didn’t continue Seonghwa frowned.

“What do you mean?” His curiosity got the best of him and he walked up to where Hongjoong was, grabbing his hand to pause him from cooking for a second. “It’s just a name, how could it not feel right to you?”

“I feel like I’ve heard it before… I don’t think that’s her real name.” Hongjoong paused and looked up at the tall vampire.

“I don’t understand, what did she say she was called?”

_“Cat.”_

Seonhwa’s eyes widened and he let go of his friend's hand.

“Does it sound familiar to you too? I _swear_ I’ve heard it somewhere before but-”

“Yeah, you probably have.” Seonghwa rubbed at the back of his neck with his hand.

It was Hongjoong’s turn to be curious as he tried to catch Seonghwa’s eyes. “What is it? Why does it sound so familiar?”

“It’s the name carved onto the bodies of the half-blood victims that were reported dead by the Vampire Hunters Organization some time ago. It’s a long forgotten case of a serial killer they couldn’t catch.”

_“What?”_ Hongjoong dropped the knife he had down onto the chopping board and turned to support his back against the counter. “Do you think... ‘ _Cat’_... is the name the serial killer gave to all his victims?”

“Maybe… It could be.” They shared a worried glance and Seonghwa released a heavy breath. “If what I’m thinking is right, then that serial killer could be _this_ vampire.”

Hongjoong’s eyes jumped out of his sockets. “Are you saying… that this man-”

Seonghwa nodded sadly. “There might be a chance that Po Byeong-Cheol is that killer.”

.

.

.

Cat shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Once again, she was left to sit alone in the hunter’s bedroom. The boys had left in a hurry after the one with green hair delivered his message. They told her to wait here and closed the door hurriedly behind them.

_Should I try to escape?_

She looked at the door where the presence of the hunters lingered but then her ears caught the sound of many agitated voices. The voices were loud, not just because of their tone but because they were all somewhere close. And them being close ment it’s far too risky for her to try leaving.

What if they got mad at her for trying to escape and beat her up in punishment? She really didn’t want to go through that pain. Sure, they said they wouldn’t hurt her, but exactly _just how much_ of those words should she believe? How much could she start to trust someone after everything she’s been through?

Instead, she would try to escape when the chances of being caught were slim. For now she settled for looking around once again.

The big window illuminating the room across her caught her attention easily. She could faintly see the outline of pine trees and it reminded her of her grandmother's house. The cottage they lived in was surrounded by tall pine trees that more often than not she got lost in. Her memories of those happy times had her feeling nostalgic and she had the sudden urge to run over and take in the full view.

So she did just that. She dropped her feet over the bed and pushed herself off.

But she had momentarily forgotten what the Clan had done to her feet. When she tried to step on the ground, the thoughtless action brought a shock from her toes that traveled all the way up her spine and had her dropping hard to her knees in a heartbeat.

_“Ahh!”_ The pain shocked her and she breathed out heavily, cursing herself for forgetting. Now on her knees, she could only crawl over to the window. Her bruises complaining under her weight.

When she finally reached the wall, she gripped the wood with her fingertips and slowly on wobbly legs, tried to prop herself up, enough to peek out the covered window. The sun was warm on her cheeks, which was a nice change from the dark coldness she had been chained to back with the Clan. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to bask in that warm sunlight that she missed so much.

If there was one thing she was content with about being a mixed race, was being able to stand freely under the sunlight and not feel an ounce of pain. She doesn’t have super healing properties, nor does her vision see further than a regular human’s, but unlike pureblood vampires, she can stand perfectly in the blazing sun.

The smash of a door somewhat close resonated through the walls and ripped her out of her daydream. She opened her eyes to look back just as a shadow of steps stomped past the door. Not wanting to delve into the matter, she returned her stare out the windows. 

Apparently the place was located somewhere in a forest. All its surroundings were trees. It’d be hard to find this house if it weren’t for it evidently having two stories. The trees were much taller than the cabin yet when she looked down she could see the ground far below. Nothing really surrounded it so she couldn’t pick up any clues as to where she was right now.

A streak of light molested her eye from the left of the room. She looked to the side and caught a glimpse of a person in the mirror. Immediately her legs wobbled and she crashed onto the floor with a high pained shriek.

That silhouette… was a _reflection?_

She had only caught a glimpse of it but could it really be _her?_ It had been years since she had last seen a mirror, the vampires in her clan didn’t have reflections and therefore no mirrors occupied the space in the house. She vaguely guessed what she looked like but the image she had just barely seen really shocked her and had her pausing to think straightly.

Her long brown hair had been cut short, that much she knew, but the level of disheveled was what she wasn’t expecting. It appeared blindly cut to her nape, her now curly tangled hair layered around her chin messily. Her face was also far paler than she remembered it being. Maybe because she could see the rest of her skin she hadn’t ever really noticed, but her face was truly void of color, it looked sickly and she frowned at the thought.

She also sported very obvious eye bags which she guessed was normal, considering she couldn’t really sleep despite her half-human body needing the occasional rest. Vampires don’t need to rest and so there were rarely times where she could get some actual sleep. Usually she’d wake up from nightmares and thus preferred just avoiding sleep.

“Fuck,” she cursed, stubbornly trying to get back up onto her feet and see herself one more time. “Come on, useless feet,” she mumbled, finally tall enough to see herself.

But it wasn’t just her reflection anymore.

She must’ve been so consumed in her thoughts that she had neither heard nor smelled the other person in the room. She gasped, wide eyed at his reflection, and turned around to stare at the man behind her. But before she could, strong arms wrapped around her throat and had her choking in seconds.

Her hands clawed uselessly at her throat and her eyes locked with the assailant’s in horror as she gasped, realizing what was happening.

.

.

.

“Then does this mean that Cat, _our mate_ , is possibly his next victim?” Hongjoong pushed himself off the kitchen counter to stare at Seonghwa.

“We don’t know yet,” the elder paused. The conversation was turning heavy, even for him, and he didn’t want to be thinking that the mate he _just_ found out he has, could very possibly be the next victim of a psychopath serial killer. “We should investigate more on this matter before coming up with baseless theories.”

“You’re right, I’m getting ahead of myself, sorry.” Hongjoong shook his head to get the thoughts out of his head and turned back around, turning the electric stove on.

“Besides, we don’t even know if she’s a half-blood.” Although it could make sense. Half bred vampires weren’t exactly common, they were usually made when a female human and a male vampire had intercourse without the vampire’s bite. Their venom wouldn’t kill the mother but the vampire’s blood cells would travel into the womb and mix with those of the human’s.

The child would then be born a half-blood, the cross between the two different breeds. But it was a very rare occurrence. The mother usually died giving birth and the baby wouldn’t have any powers. They could only drink human blood but were naturally weak. It would only prove to be a hindrance to the father, that’s why they were a very rare breed. 

“I don’t care what she is… I just don’t want to lose her.” Hongjoong pouted, the sound of the sizzling starting to fill the room.

Seonghwa understood. He didn’t like the idea of something happening to her either.

They stood like that for a little while. Hongjoong prepared lunch for the boys with Seonghwa’s useful help. He didn’t eat human food yet he’d worked in restaurants for many years, disguised as a human, and learned to cook deliberately well -according to the boys-. So they bonded while cooking together.

“Hyung!” Both boys turned around at Wooyoung’s unexpected call from the living room. The youngest walked over with a perplexed expression, eyebrow furrowed and mouth slightly hanging open. “Have you seen Jongho? He’s not in his room.”

The boys looked between each other with a worried expression. Jongho always locks himself in his room, especially after he throws tantrums, he’s much of a loner and never wanders around the house.

“No, we’ve been in the kitchen and he didn’t come by.” Hongjoong spoke up.

Wooyoung frowned and his lips turned into a pout. “I just wanted to talk to him… and clear things up. Do you think he could’ve left the house?”

Seonghwa shook his head, “No, I didn’t hear the door open, I would’ve known if he had left.”

“You don’t think-” Hongjoong started, turning the stove off, “-he could’ve gone into _Yeosang’s room_ do you?”

At that, the two supernatural beings shared a thunderstruck expression before looking up the stairs at where the rooms were.

_“Jongho!”_


	4. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As soon as he held her bony hand in his, she had a shock of electricity travel through her body until it reached its destination at her heart. She quickly jerked her hand out of his and stared at him wide eyed as her heart skipped a beat.
> 
> They must’ve spiked the medicine they gave her earlier… It was either that or she was going crazy from being away from her master so long.
> 
> Seonghwa waited patiently with a silent shaky breath until she regained her composure and took his hand firmly again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with a new chapter! Thank you for patiently waiting <3
> 
> **WARNING: Mentions of BLOOD, GUNS, and CHOKING. Read at your own risk.**
> 
> Enjoy!

Yeosang woke up feeling more awake than ever before. He was no longer sweating, as if the beads of sweat had evaporated into thin air, and he had stopped struggling. He laid willingly on the bed and wondered, _why am I so hungry?_ The events that had occurred merely a day before had yet to cross his mind.

He looked down and found his skin, that shined in pristine condition, tied up uncomfortably by a familiar thick rope. The source of his discomfort was threatening to cut into his skin, but he felt relaxed nonetheless. He tried to break it but the force of his squirming wasn’t enough and so he resorted to his long nails. He twisted his hand until his sharp nails got a hold on the rope and he sawed it right off him. 

He wasn’t completely aware of what was going on. He knew he needed something and he could faintly smell it in the air but it wasn’t enough for him and so he got up from the bed. 

Right when he stood up, feeling somehow stronger than ever before, the door knob twisted. The door suddenly opened up, and his red eyes shined brightly at the person walking in to see him.

.

.

.

She couldn’t even spit out a _‘stop’_ with the pressure he was applying on her. Her throat was constricted and she struggled breathing for air. Her blunt nails clawed at the man’s strong hands but with no avail he pushed her back onto the floor and sat on her hips to restrict her legs.

“This is what they want?” His voice mocked, brown eyes clouded in a crazy rage. “An ugly vampire bitch to satisfy their stupid beast cravings?” The girl underneath him looked frightenedly up at him. Her eyes a bright pink taking him off guard and having him slacken his grip on her for a second. 

He had never seen a pink eyed vampire before. Every vampire he had met had red eyes, that was the norm, red eyes because of their blood sucking properties. Seonghwa was another story, his irises turned yellow when he was hungry, but he didn’t drink blood nor did he feel the need to, so naturally he never had red eyes and he was accustomed to that. _These eyes_ on the other hand…

Lost in the moment with his new found discovery, Cat took the chance to pry his hands away and try to push him off but he was quick to react and he pinned her hands together over her head with greater strength. “Let me go!” She yelled, squirming helplessly under him.

“No. This is _your_ fault,” in one quick move he pointed the gun he was hiding at her head and unlocked the safety. Cat froze, her body stiffening and eyes zeroing on the muzzle. “Thanks to your stupid clan, Yeosang is now one of you bloodsuckers. He’s a fucking monster now and on top of that we’re supposed to be happy to have _you_?” He pressed the muzzle right on her forehead and continued, “I don’t care if they kill me later, you’re just their little bitch and I won’t bow down to you.”

Cat’s eyes watered. She really was going to die by the hands of an angry hunter and these horrible words were going to be the last thing she hears.

He cocked his eyebrows at the tears that ran down her cheeks and rolled his eyes “Any last wor-?”

“JONGHO GET AWAY FROM HER!” The door of the room had suddenly swung open and Wooyoung interrupted him with a growl. He ran over to where they were on the floor and ripped Jongho off from Cat, throwing the gun far and leaving him dumbfounded. Seonghwa and Hongjoong ran in after him looking just as shaken as Wooyoung did.

Jongho couldn’t believe everything they were doing. He was even angrier than before. His brother had just flipped him off for a stranger, a demon no less, and had the nerve to stare him down with pure hate and anger.

Wooyoung grabbed Jongho by the collar and raised him up to his full height. “What the _fuck_ were you trying to do?” Jongho looked down at the werewolf’s icy blue stare threatening him. Wooyoung was fuming, his irises were glowing as he bared his teeth and brought Jongho’s collar closer to him.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Jongho spit out. “She doesn’t _belong_ here. She’s just a-”

“CUT IT OUT!” Hongjoong walked over to him after unloading the gun and made it clear how disappointed he was in him with a scolding. Jongho died a little inside while hearing his hyung, and although he didn’t want to admit it, deep down he knew he was wrong.

He was only a human so he would never be able to understand the feelings his brothers felt, but he had learned that the bond soulmates share are inexplicable. It’s not the familiar feeling of being pack mates where you have a special relationship like only a family can have.

Having a soulmate went much deeper, a mind and heart connection that could be felt in the veins and clouded their scents. They would be devoted to that other person, and this Jongho completely disagreed with. No one should tie you down and take your freedom away.

But what Jongho could never know was every good thing that went into having a partner for your whole life. The endless love and happiness that ruled over the two beings and kept them healthy and alive throughout everything. A special connection that they need and that normal humans could only dream of.

Jongho could never know how that felt like. And so although he was sorry for trying to take that away from the boys, he didn’t need the girl in his life. He knew she would end up turning them all into vampires and that alone was enough to excuse him for his actions.

Unbeknownst to them, Seonghwa had approached a sobbing Cat who now sat hiding her face and hugging her knees against the wall. He crouched down in front of her and raised a hand to place it on her shoulder, but faltered mid-way. This wasn’t how he expected to meet her, although their real first meeting was in an even worse scenario.

He looked at her small body trembling and cursed under his breath, he didn’t want her to feel scared ever again. With newfound determination he settled for just calling out to her. Touching her at a time like this would freak her out instead of making her feel comforted. “Hey…” he started timidly. Her body stopped shaking as she froze at his voice, and he knew he had to approach carefully. “It’s ok now, I’m not gonna hurt you. I’m sorry you had to go through that…”

Cat couldn’t trust anyone right now but for some reason his voice was really comforting and she really needed the assurance even if she didn’t believe his words. Timidly she raised her head and looked at him over her knees, only allowing their eyes to meet.

This hunter was the vampire one, the guy they called Seonghwa, and she didn’t know if she should feel relieved or not at having him here. He was somewhat similar to her but if he was the type to go against his own kind, then she wanted nothing to do with him.

Seonghwa held his breath. The eyes looking back at him were a bright pink that confirmed his suspicions about her being a mixed race. And the fact that she still had her pink eyes meant that she was feeling guarded. She’s supposed to be an apex predator like him; Vampires are at the top of the food chain, they fear no one and take down everyone weaker.

But the way she held herself -like a child too afraid to leave their mother’s embrace- made her look weak, like a prey. Perhaps that’s what Byeong-Cheol wanted when he took her. And perhaps that’s why he had tied her up and broken her feet, to have her depend on him -and _only_ him- to do anything.

Seonghwa tried to get himself together. He was really pissed at that vampire but now he was also mad at Jongho for attempting to kill their own soulmate. He knew how important this discovery was for them -even more so for Seonghwa-, and he knew he would have to sit down and have an important discussion with the boy once this was over.

“Let’s get you on the bed shall we?” Her eyes went wide in alarm as he said that and he cursed himself for not explaining better. “No nono, I didn’t mean it like that!- I meant you should sit down so I can see if he hurt you anywhere.”

Cat raised her head fully at this. The man, or should she say vampire, was kneeling in front of her with a worried expression on his incredibly beautiful face. Now wasn’t the time to think about these things, one of his friends had almost killed her, but his extremely handsome face caught her attention for a split second.

The man had strong eyebrows that were knitted together, only one of them currently visible through his parted black hair. His lips were full and had a reddish tint to them as he parted his lips. With a clearing of his throat her attention was focused back at his eyes.

His dark eyes were insistent as he offered her his palm. She looked down briefly at his open hand and took a moment to think.

She really didn’t trust him. Not _one_ bit. They were hunters and regardless of the fact that this man before her was the same race as her, he hadn’t given her a good reason enough to trust him.

Yet on the other hand she doubted he would leave her alone sitting on the ground after the show of heroship he and his friends had just pulled. She came to a conclusion that letting him patch her up wouldn’t be so bad. They all swore they wouldn’t hurt her and this would be a good reminder of their promise to her.

Also, there wasn’t much she could do. Even if she denied getting treatment, she would bet everything that the werewolf shifter -giving an earful to her assaulter on the other side of the room- would patch her up whether she wanted or not.

And so she extended her hand carefully so he could help her up.

As soon as he held her bony hand in his, she had a shock of electricity travel through her body until it reached its destination at her heart. She quickly jerked her hand out of his and stared at him wide eyed as her heart skipped a beat.

They must’ve spiked the medicine they gave her earlier… It was either that or she was going crazy from being away from her master so long.

Seonghwa waited patiently with a silent shaky breath until she regained her composure and took his hand firmly again.

Once more her heartbeat spiked up but this time she had no time to think about it because he easily lifted her up, causing her to fall into his chest thanks to the pain on her feet.

Seonghwa half grabbed her, not expecting the fall, but tried to stabilize her anyway. The heat she was feeling at being so near him definitely didn’t go unnoticed and she frowned, holding one hand to her heart to try and get it to calm down.

“You ok?” He whispered politely, holding her up until she found her balance.

“Yeah, it just hurts...” she mumbled back shakily. Between the pain shooting up through her feet and the strong beating of her heart, she felt shaken to the core and couldn’t even stand straight without her knees buckling or her imbalance tipping her over.

“Oh, I forgot about your feet! Sorry, it must hurt.” He looked down at her injured feet and saw as she tried to hide them from his view. He realized that it wasn’t something she was comfortable with but that was even more reason to help her overcome it. But right now he’d have to find a solution. “Can I carry you?”

Cat looked up at him with her tear stained eyes and when she saw no harmful intention evident on his face, she let him carry her in his arms. She was stiff to the core as he bent down and swept her off the floor easily, a hand supporting her back and an arm holding her legs. As he carried her over to the bed she tried to not hang onto his neck and shoulders too much as the mere touch of him got her feeling dizzy.

She remembered that he didn’t have a heartbeat of his own but wondered if he could hear hers, and so she peeked up at his face. He either didn’t feel anything or he was really good at hiding it. His face was hard as a rock, emotionless as he let her down on the edge of the bed without a sound, showing no effort whatsoever. Still, she hoped he didn’t hear her heart pounding, even after stepping away.

“Did he hurt you?” Seonghwa crouched down to her level of eyesight and took in her whole appearance now that she wasn’t hiding in herself. She had purple and green bruises on her knees that looked really painful yet not very new, and her feet were undoubtedly something he’d have to think on how to help. He was no doctor, and unlike half bloods he _did_ have quick healing abilities.

There was still much he had to learn about half vampires like Cat, and now that she was a very special person in his life and his family’s, he had to learn how to care for her and how to help her recover from her traumatic experience as a hostage.

Cat’s hand subconsciously went up to her bandaged neck. “He choked me a bit…” Her eyes traveled to the side where Jongho was storming off with Hongjoong at his feet. The younger one threw her a dirty look over his shoulder before disappearing out the door and Cat shuddered, feeling threatened once again.

“Hey are you ok?” Wooyoung came over to the bed and searched Cat’s face and body for any sign of distress. His hands wanted to reach out for her but he settled for grabbing onto his sides to stop himself from doing something she wouldn’t want.

“I’m ok now…” She muttered, playing with her fingernails.

“Wooyoung!” Hongjoong’s call was heard not so far away. “I need you, come now!” Wooyoung’s eyebrows rose from the urgency in his tone and he stepped back to the door.

“Sorry Cat, I have to go, but I’ll come back to check on you.” He gave Seonghwa a curt nod, that he returned, and vanished out the door.

Seonghwa’s eyes returned to her neck, “Hongjoong didn’t change your bandage did he?” The once neat wrap was now stained yellow and earlier Hongjoong had stated that he would change the band and so he realized the job had yet to be done.

Cat shook her head and watched as the vampire reached around her for the forgotten first aid kit on the bed. He opened the box and took out a few essentials that she was unfamiliar with. Including a gauze that she recognized having seen on her in the mirror.

“I’m going to have to change it so please excuse me,” he sat up beside her on the bed and reached for her neck.

But Cat was quicker and grabbed his wrist in a flash. “No- you mustn’t touch it. It’s not yours.”

Seonghwa frowned at her choice of words. _Mustn’t touch it? Not yours?_ With confusion written all over his face he voiced his concern. “What do you mean? Hongjoong said it was infected, and it clearly is. I need to clean it for you so it can heal-” his hand reached for the cloth once more and barely grabbed onto the tip before she moved her neck away, the pull causing the bandage to come undone into his hands.

Hongjoong had been the one to wrap her up in the first place and although he had mentioned a bite mark he wasn’t expecting to find an infected bite oozing out into the cloth. This wasn’t just a normal bite made from a vampire, no. This was an infected bite mark made with the sole purpose of injecting venom into the prey.

If what he was thinking was correct, then it’s very possible that Byeongcheol created a partial one-way bond with Cat. He injected his venom and blood into her veins and now she must be feeling bonded to him. _“That sick fuck,”_ he muttered.

It’s a way of controlling, clearly the vampire wanted power and maybe even something else. With this partial bond she will feel connected to him and will obey him while he lives his carefree life ordering her around as he pleases.

He still doesn’t know enough of how the blood bond works but if this really is one, then they’re in for a long ride. He just hopes there’s a way to get rid of the venom in her veins. She could get really confused about her mates and it would break his heart to know he can’t do anything about it.

“You can’t touch it!” She yelled, pushing herself away from Seonghwa after slapping his hand. She went to cover her bite but retracted when her palm brushed the sensitive skin and instead settled for clutching her hands against her chest and looking at Seonghwa with an accusing expression.

“Cat,” he sighed, “I won’t hurt you I promise. I’m just going to apply some ointment, please just let me do that for you.” He looked at her pleadingly while she took a minute to think. When her hands came down from her chest and relaxed beside her, he took that stance as an invitation to get closer and so he returned to her side and calmly took out the tools he would need.

Cat eyed him warily as he grabbed an antibiotic to apply on her sensitive skin. He scooted over just a bit closer and leaned in to apply the paste. As soon as it hit her skin she clenched her jaw and her hand shot out to grip something for comfort. She ended up grabbing onto Seonghwa’s free arm, digging her fingers into his wrist.

He grew red at the motion, trying not to smile at her obvious search for comfort in him. He knew she was hurting and so he wanted to show her that he would help. Apparently her inner self understood that and maybe she could open up to him soon instead of closing him out like the blood bond was trying to do.

He finished applying the cream onto her neck and replaced the used bandage for a clean one, smiling at her for holding on through it -although she hissed at him the whole time-.

“Seonghwa,” Wooyoung and Yunho returned to the room and signaled down the hall. “You have to go see what’s going on in Yeosang’s room.”

Seonghwa cursed, he had forgotten about Yeosang. “Is he awake?” He stood up and walked to the door.

“Yeah he’s more than just awake. You have to go see what’s happening.” Yunho shook his head in an incredulous manner and continued. “I’ll stay here and look after her.”

As much as Seonghwa didn’t want to leave her, he knew his pack mate was more important in this moment and he had promised to look after him. So with a heavy heart he turned back to look at Cat. “I’ll be back later, Yunho’s going to stay here. Please try and rest, no one will harm you.” He waited until she gave him a dubious nod and walked out the door, heading down the hall.

.

.

.

“Yeosang?” The moment the door opened Yeosang watched San step in with a curious expression. The newly turned vampire surprised him standing in the middle of the room, staring at him with his glowing red eyes. Yeosang knew it was San. He wasn’t completely conscious but his mind recognized his brother. He knew the boy frozen one foot in the door.

San slowly entered the room and closed the door behind him. “Hyung… you’re awake?” The boy was cautious around him, his honey colored eyes concentrated on Yeosang’s every move.

Yeosang closed his eyes and inhaled. The sweet smell he emitted clouded his mind and closed off the rest of his senses. His eyes opened again and he could only see red.

In a flash he traveled up to the door and smashed against San at the door. San was able to hold him off with his quick reflexes but the newly turned vampire was stronger and fought off his protecting arms.

“Yeosang stop! It’s me, San! Don’t do it!” The vampire bared his fangs and snapped at the hunter’s neck. San fought strongly against the vampire. He didn’t want to hurt him, he had to snap him out before he ended up biting him or hurting someone.

Yeosang hissed violently and used his strength to throw San toward the center of the room. The hunter tumbled over to the bed but quickly regained his composure into a guarded stance, eyes shifting around the room to find something to use against him.

The vampire charged at a super speed and pushed San down onto the bed, taking away the last bit of freedom he could have thought he had.

“YEOSANG LISTEN TO ME! DON’T DO IT.” San struggled under the vampire’s new strong body straddling him.

Yeosang couldn’t hear him. All he could think of was satiating his hunger. In a swift move he pinned San’s arms above his head and ignored the violent kicking the other was trying to do under him.

“YEOSANG, IT’S ME SAN, SNAP OUT OF IT,” San pleaded moving his head. He didn’t want to turn into a tiger because he knew he could hurt him. It was much easier as he had experience ending vampires with his large jaw and claws but that wasn’t what he wanted to do to him. He was his best friend, he didn’t want to resort to shifting and risk the chance of accidentally killing him.

But before San could think more of it, Yeosang dipped his head down to the tiger’s neck and bit down on the skin. The bite created a cracking sound and San’s body stiffened out of reflex, his eyes jumping out in horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! School and work got in the way and I wasn't able to deliver the chapter before.. :(  
> Anyway what do you think about Jongho? Don't hate him too much, tho I know what he's doing is wrong :(( Hope you enjoyed Yeosang's pov also <3 poor baby is just hungry and attacked San D: hope he'll be ok..  
> As always hope you like it comment what you think will happen next, I'm really curious! Take care xo


	5. Heart to Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You’ll feel it too,” Seonghwa spoke behind him. “When you meet her you’ll feel it too. It’s… it’s intoxicating being around her.”
> 
> “That’s true,” Wooyoung sighed dreamily. “I just wanted to scent her and hold her and-”
> 
> _“-kiss her!”_  
>    
> “-get to know her, take care of her,” Wooyoung giggled at San’s interruption. The boy was smiling drowsily in the younger’s arms.
> 
> “Sounds like you two wanted to do a _looot_ of things with her,” Hongjoong chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I'm back! I'm sorry it's been so long, I've been dealing with a few things but I hope you all enjoy this chapter. No warnings today!  
> Also, **HAPPY NEW YEAR!** A little late but I hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying the start of the year<3 Much love, xoxo

Seonghwa entered the room after Wooyoung but stood dead in his tracks at the sight welcoming him. Hongjoong and Mingi were gathered around San who looked dizzy sitting on the bed. The pair were gushing over San while on the far end of the room Yeosang stood fidgeting in place with his head down and his lips turned downwards into a small pout. Jongho was busy staring him down in a guarded stance.

“What happened here?” He muttered under his breath. Wooyoung easily caught it with his enhanced hearing and responded back.

“When we came into the room we found Yeosang latching onto an almost unconscious San.” Wooyoung whined and Yeosang visibly flinched at the accusation.

“Yeosang’s awake but why is he like that?” He pointed to Yeosang who was curling into himself even more than his standing stance could allow.

Wooyoung shook his head and returned to San’s side. “You won’t believe me, ask him yourself.”

Seonghwa passed by the young boy separating Yeosang from the rest of the room and stood in front of the vampire.  _ “Yeosang-” _ he tried, making his head shoot up for a second and then glance away with furrowed brows, “-are you conscious now?”

The blonde nodded before letting his head drop down and placing a hand on his arm protectively. Seonghwa came even closer to the boy and laid a hand on his shoulder, “Yeosang. What. Happened?”

The younger boy looked up and almost burst into tears. He couldn’t, however, and resorted to pleading. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to do that, I just couldn’t control it! I stopped before anything bad happened, though…”

Seonghwa looked back at San who was now staring right at them, and that’s when he saw it. San had two bite marks on one side of his neck. His eyes snapped back at Yeosang. “You bit him-”

“I only drank from him I swear! I didn’t do anything else, you can look…” The boy pointed at San with his chin. “I _ know _ it was wrong of me… If I could have controlled it sooner I swear I would’ve but-” He took his bottom lip between his teeth and looked away from Seonghwa. “I’m  _ really _ sorry. You should tie me up again.”

Seonghwa felt a tad sympathetic. Not because he was a vampire but because Yeosang was his best friend. He had fought against vampires until one day ago, so he knew how much he despised these murderers. It was sad seeing how the former vampire hunter was now what he swore to fight against.

He took a look around the room but everyone seemed to avoid looking at him. He knew they were concerned for Yeosang, but they were also worried about how to treat him now that he was a blood-sucking vampire. None of them looked scared, however, not even San who had been bitten. Everyone was just lost on how to handle this situation.

“I don’t think we should tie him up,” said San softly from his place on the bed. Everyone’s eyes turned to him at this. “I’m fine and it doesn’t hurt, weirdly.”

Seonghwa went over to the tiger and tilted his head to see the neck better. Indeed it wasn't infected. “That’s because he didn’t inject venom into you.” Then he turned to look at Yeosang, “Thank you for holding yourself back. I know it must’ve been hard, but you didn’t turn him.” At this everyone’s eyes snapped at him and sighs of relief were heard all around.

_ “So he’s not gonna turn into a vampire?” _

_ “He’s gonna be ok?” _

_ “I thought he was gonna die!”  _

Hongjoong’s exclamation brought a chuckle out of Seonghwa and the mood in the room seemed to lighten up.

“So you know how to control it?” Mingi’s question was directed at Yeosang and everyone’s attention went to him once again.

The boy nodded slowly, turning to face them, “I think so… All I wanted was to drink blood, but I didn’t want to  _ kill _ him, I recognized him and stopped once I was full.” His ears were filled once again with relieved murmuring and Seonghwa walked back up to Yeosang with newfound resolve.

The younger vampire looked up expectantly at him yet froze in shock once Seonghwa’s arms wrapped around his body.

“Thank you,” he murmured, “and I’m sorry you had to go through all this.” Seonghwa pulled Yeosang at arm's length and continued, “I promise I will help you with figuring out this new vampire situation, so don’t be upset for being who you are now. As long as you’re aware that killing humans is wrong, you’ll be alright. And we’re here to stand by you.”

Yeosang felt relieved. He felt like he had really  _ woken up _ this time. A few minutes ago he was readying himself for rejection by the pack’s part but now after hearing these words, and seeing the member’s calming faces around the room, he felt calmer and assured.

“By the way, Yeosang-” Mingi started from his place on the bed, “-you’re not the only new vampire in the house…” There was an audible huff from behind Seonghwa, coming from Jongho, but the Hongjoong and the shifters looked at each other giddily, as if they shared an exciting secret. “Just thought you should know,” Mingi added with an exasperated sigh crossing his arms.

Seonghwa brought his arms down and looked at Yeosang expectantly too. But the blond was confused. “What are you talking about?”

“You won’t believe what they brought home,” Jongho scoffed, walking over beside Seonghwa as if he hadn’t been staring down at Yeosang a few minutes ago. Seonghwa sent him a burning glare from beside him and looked back at Yeosang.

“Yeosang, you will feel it now too-”

“We have a soulmate!” Wooyoung interrupted. Hugging a weak yet happy San in his arms. Yeosang arched his brow.

_ “A soulmate?” _

“Yeah! The person who is meant to love you and accompany you for your whole life. We talked about it once, they’re our Luna.”

“You found your Luna? But... what does that have to do with a vampire?” Yeosang walked over to where they were gathered around San, on the bed.

It was San who spoke up this time. “Actually she’s all of ours. She is our pack’s mate for life. Or in your cases,-” he nodded between Yeosang and Seonghwa, “-for eternity. And… she’s also a vampire. Like you.” The blond’s jaw dropped at that.

_ A mate? A vampire? For eternity? _ His thoughts were all mixing up. Not only was he going to have to get used to living a life completely different, but he was also now entitled to caring for this person for the rest of his life. He now remembers reading a little about soulmates in vampire books, thanks to humans not really knowing if they have one, but he has read enough to know that a soulmate is possible and supernatural beings do know immediately if they find theirs.

Would he feel something now once he meets _ his _ ?

“You’ll feel it too,” Seonghwa spoke behind him. “When you meet her you’ll feel it too. It’s… it’s intoxicating being around her.”

“That’s true,” Wooyoung sighed dreamily. “I just wanted to scent her and hold her and-”

_ “-kiss her!” _

“-get to know her, take care of her,” Wooyoung giggled at San’s interruption. The boy was smiling drowsily in the younger’s arms.

“Sounds like you two wanted to do  _ a looot _ of things with her,” Hongjoong chuckled.

Yeosang had to admit that it sounded nice. They obviously seemed lovestruck and the idea of having a lover forever did sound pleasant to him… But she was a vampire. His whole life he was taught to fight vampires, how was he going to just accept one he doesn’t even know?

He licked his lips, as he always did when he was thinking, and his tongue bumped against his fangs.  _ He really was one of them now. _ He supposes he’d have to get used to living with it, it mustn’t be too hard adapting to having one more vampire around.

The thought of sharing a mate wasn’t so bad either. Yeosang wasn’t a jealous person and he knew that’s how it kind of worked in the animal packs, so he wasn’t too surprised with that. But now he was curious. How did they meet her? Was she part of the clan they had recently raided? Wasn’t she a serial killer then? Draining out humans for her selfish desires like all vampires?

There were a lot of questions unanswered but the one he was especially curious about was;  _ Where is she now? _

.

.

.

Jongho rolled his eyes. He was in the library having a  _ ‘very important’ _ talk with Seonghwa. He really did love his brother, even if the elder was a vampire and had probably lived a hundred years more than Jongho had, but he felt this was unnecessary..

Seonghwa was like his older brother, or a father figure. He taught him so much in the few years they knew each other, and he was very thankful. But the fact that he asked to meet up to lecture Jongho about a vampire… was something he just couldn’t stand.

He grabbed a random book from their collection(mostly Seonghwa’s) and skimmed absentmindedly through the pages, his back turned against Seonghwa while his intimidating presence sat not too far from him in the room.

The vampire cleared his throat and his stare dug a hole through Jongho’s back. “Sit down, Jongho.” The maknae winced at the elders authoritative voice and hesitantly closed the book in his hands, turning around to face him and sitting in a nearby chair. “Why did you do that?”

Jongho looked up at Seonghwa and found the vampire sitting cross legged with one hand on the armchair and the other holding his jaw with his elbow propped on the armchair. He bit his lip and thought for a second before responding.

“Because I don’t want her here.”

He felt Seonghwa’s judging stare looking down on him and he clutched the book tighter in his hands, shifting in his seat and feigning disinterest by looking to the side.

“Do you know what a soulmate is?” The elder started.

Jongho thought for a second and shook his head.

“Well a soulmate, to anyone, is their other half. A person who the universe sent so that they can complete each other and live a happy life until they take their last breath.”

“Then why aren’t they with us from the beginning? If a soulmate is supposed to make us  _ happy _ then why do they appear only after we’ve been suffering?”

_ That should shut him up, _ he thought.

But Seonghwa only sighed and continued. 

“Think about it. Would you know what true happiness is if you’ve never lived without it? If it was already yours from the beginning you’d take what you have for granted. I  _ don’t know _ why soulmates appear out of nowhere. But what I _ do _ know is that once they come into our lives they become crucial for our souls.

Besides accompanying us for the rest of our lives, they also help us become the best version of ourselves, forcing us to face our fears and helping us overcome the struggles that we can’t face alone. It’s a wonderful thing, a blessing really, to find that one special person… But it does come with a price. Nothing in life is free after all.” 

Jongho stood silent processing the information. His hyung uncrossed his legs and looked down, brushing a hand through his jet black hair.

“If anything happens to one of the soulmates, and by anything I mean if they die… the other half will never get over it and eventually they die of heartbreak. At least that’s what happens to us supernaturals.”

Those words lit a lightbulb over his head. _ “ _ _ Takotsubo cardiomyopathy…” _ Jongho whispered.

“So you’ve heard. The term was discovered overseas in Japan around 1990. But soulmates have existed since way back and sadly many had this fate.” Seonghwa tried to catch his eye, “I understand you’re skeptical,” his lower voice continued. “But you do realize that the actions you took would’ve killed us all had we not intercepted just in time?” At this Jongho returned his gaze to Seonghwa’s. His orange eyes boring into his.

“I… I hadn’t thought about that.” He earnestly spoke. He knew he had been blinded by rage in that moment. But surely his hyung wasn’t being serious. How in the world could a strong vampire like him die from a heartbreak? 

“When you went in there, intentionally, did you even think about us?” Seonghwa leaned over, placing his elbows on his knees and looking up at Jongho. “Did you think about San? Wooyoung? Hongjoong who despite being human has this indescribable urge to protect her? Mingi and Yunho who have never been in love? Did you think about how it would affect Yeosang when he wakes up? Did you think about me?” Jongho felt a heavy weight resting on his chest, pulling him down and sinking him into the couch. 

No. He had  _ not _ thought of his brothers at that time.

He was so focused on his own thoughts and his sudden urges that he didn’t even stop to think of how it could affect the others.

How  _ would  _ it affect them?

San and Wooyoung would both grieve the loss of their Luna, because they’re part animals, they have that instinct and he would never understand the way they would feel if they lost their mate.

Hongjoong has always been alone, he’s never had a girl to care for because of his dedication for his job. Hunting down evil vampires has always been top priority in his head, after taking care of their family that is. But they’re all grown and he shouldn’t be worried as much as he is. He’s never gone out to hook up with anyone like most of them have, he is probably really happy to have someone to call his own. Someone who can love him in the way that his brothers can’t. And thinking about it makes Jongho feel guilty all of a sudden.

Mingi and Yunho have gone around hooking up with random women, as has Jongho himself, so he honestly doesn’t know how it could affect them. Was it better having the girl here alive? Would they all be happier with her? He shook his head at the thought. They didn’t know her for heaven’s sake…

It might have been worse for Yeosang and Seonghwa, who would have to live alone forever. Now that’s a whirlwind thought he didn’t want to enter. He understood now why he said it would kill them.

But he doesn’t think he’s ever going to feel that way. (Not with her at least.)

“I’m sorry.” He apologizes, head down. “I didn’t think of how it could affect you.”

Jongho waited in silence for a little bit until he grew curious as to what Seonghwa was thinking. He raised his head and caught his brother’s eyes already on him, looking less intense than before.

“It’s not me who you have to apologize to.” Jongho’s eyes grew wide at the implication in his words.

“Y-you don’t mean I have to apologize to  _ her- _ do you?” His brother’s eyes turned cold once again and he stood up, looking down at him.

“That’s exactly what I mean. I expect you to apologize and promise never to hurt her.”

Jongho jumped out of his chair with pleading eyes. “But I already apologized to you! I don’t want to talk to her, I’ll leave her alone as long as she doesn’t hurt anyone but I can’t promise any-”

“Jongho!” No more words were needed for the younger to close his lips into a stern line. “I understand it’s uncomfortable now. She’s a stranger and I don’t expect you to be infatuated with her. All I'm asking is for you to respect your elders and your soulmate. She’s gone through a lot, she was a  _ prisoner _ for crying out loud, a  _ victim _ .” 

Seonghwa gave no room for excuses as he shot him a stern look. He turned around and left the room, leaving Jongho to think and whine all alone.

.

.

.

The day soon turned to night and the boys were huddled in the living room when Yunho returned.

“She fell asleep,” he announced, taking his place in between Mingi and San on the couch. The rest of the boys were huddled on the other couch across them. The Tv was turned off and they had been talking just before he came into the room.

“We didn’t give her the second dose of the drink.” Seonghwa said, slapping a hand onto his forehead.

“Oh shit, I completely forgot,” Yunho whined, feeling ashamed of forgetting. “I was too focused on standing guard in case she’d try anything that it just passed my mind.”

“She’s probably exhausted, everything is new to her. It’s fine Yunho, let's leave her to rest for today.” Hongjoong comforted from across him. Yunho sighed in his seat.

“Way to go Yunho, you had one job” Mingi laughed, bumping the elder on the shoulder. The duo started play-fighting until Yeosang came into the room.

“Yeosang!” Yunho looked up in surprise and then looked at the other members to gauge their reaction. “Are you… not gonna bite us?”

Yeosang grinned and the action let his fangs show, which caused Yunho to shift stiffly in his seat, gaze stuck on him for any sudden movement. “I won’t… unless you provoke me.” He bared his fangs and Yunho jumped in his seat while the others laughed at him. Yeosang was going to have fun teasing the members in the future. He took his seat on the armrest of the couch purposely to tease Yunho even more.

“Now that we’re all here-” Hongjoong started, “-we have a few things we need to discuss.” The boys turned towards their hyung and paid close attention.

“It has come to my attention that we are needing to educate ourselves in two very important topics. One: is Soulmates,” his eyes lingered purposely over Jongho. “In order to not create any confusion we should all research the importance of having a soulmate. And I mean everyone. I want us all to know exactly just how important our mate is for us.” The boys nodded and Jongho kept his head down as he continued. “Two: Half Breeds. We know very little about them so we should do our research and be there for her in every way possible.”

“Why do we have to be so nice to her? We don’t even know her, she could end up biting one of us,” Mingi mumbled, playing with his fingers. Hongjoong shot lasers at him through his eyes from the other couch.

“She’s so weak though, you should’ve seen her Mingi, all she did was look out the window in silence while I was there. She can’t even walk I think.” Yunho contributed from beside him.

“Can I go see her?” Wooyoung whined, craning his head to look at his hyung with sad puppy eyes.

“No, let her rest, you’ll only disturb her.”

“I want to see her too! I feel like I shouldn’t even be apart from her, it’s important to show your mate that they are loved right from the start!” San whined, Wooyoung whimpered and they both cried out to Hongjoong.

“You two are a bunch of sissies, quit whining over a girl,” Jongho muttered under his breath.

“Yeah I don’t understand what the hype is all about anyway. I saw her once and she’s not even anything special. Plus, I don’t even know her name,” Mingi chuckled.

“Her name is Cat,” jumped Seonghwa. “And the reason why you haven't seen her yet is because 8 boys barging into her room just to look at her will make her feel like an animal in the zoo,” he spat. “She has been a hostage for a long time and is currently under what I believe is a blood bond. Which means that this vampire we saved her from, Po Byeongcheol, has turned her into his slave. We need to find a way to break the bond. I have a feeling things won’t look pretty if we don’t find a cure soon.” The boys shared worried glances at this new piece of information.

“So let’s go slow. Nursing her back to health is our first priority,” Hongjoong stated firmly. “Next is finding a way to break the bond, and then we have to find this bastard and make him pay for what he’s done.”

.

.

.

It was past 2AM and all the boys had already fallen asleep. Wooyoung and San, who had given up their room for their new guest, had now taken over Yeosang's room. And the later, seen as he wouldn't be needing a bed anytime soon, stayed awake with Seonghwa who, as usual, stayed up reading while his teammates were resting.

Seonghwa was strangely happier. He'd never had anyone accompany him through the nights when the boys were resting. Sure they went hunting after dawn because vampires left their hideouts by then, but on their off days the members would lounge in the day and sleep in the night, like any normal human. So having a companion on nights like this, when he felt lonely, was new and gratifying.

The older vampire was at the library, so accustomed to that routine that he didn't know how to react when he realized Yeosang wasn't as immersed in his book as he naturally thought he'd be.

"You ok, Yeosang?" The blond was fidgeting in his seat, the same one Jongho was sitting on just a few hours ago. His brother was also holding a book in his hands but his mind seemed to be elsewhere as his gaze was lost, unfocused on the pages before him. At the sound of his name his trance was broken and he looked up at Seonghwa.

“Yeah… it’s just-” once again he shifted on his seat and placed the book down on his lap. “There’s this smell… I don’t know what it is but it keeps distracting me.”

“A smell?” Seonghwa looked around but he didn’t have the sense of smell, and therefore couldn’t figure it out for him. He watched as the younger stood up from the chair and left the book in the shelf.

“Yeah but don’t worry it’s probably nothing… I’ll be right back.” He stood up and with the same glazed eyes as before he left the room.

Seonghwa’s gaze followed him until he turned the corner and then returned to his book. He’d be fine, there’s no way he’d be out for blood. After all, vampires can go days without feeding and Yeosang fed just a few hours ago. He trusted he would be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> What do you think is gonna happen to Cat and the boys next? Please leave a comment and kudos if you liked the story and want to read more!


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